The Dangers of Snot-Nosed Kids

There’s something to be said for avoiding those snot-nosed kids during cold and flu season. A new study out of the University of Rochester suggests that kids with colds pose a real hazard, especially to people already suffering from lung diseases such as COPD. Researchers concluded that exposure to sick kids suffering from a cold virus was the most important risk factor in determining the severity of symptoms adults experience when they contract a cold.

Why would being around sick kids make symptoms worse? Researchers aren’t exactly sure, but speculate it’s because kids shed more cold virus than adults do when they are sick.